Former Comelec chief Abalos allowed to post bail

(Updated 2 p.m.) A Pasay City court on Wednesday allowed former Commission on Elections Chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr. to post bail for charges of electoral fraud. The court hearing Abalos' case granted his bail petition but ordered him to post a P200,000 bond for each the 11 counts of electoral sabotage totaling to P2.2 million, radio dzBB's Sam Nielsen reported. In a separate report on GMA News Tv’s “News To Go,” Nielsen said the bail order was rendered by Pasay RTC Branch 117 Judge Eugenio de la Cruz. The former Comelec chairman has been detained at the Southern Police District headquarters following his arrest in December last year. He was charged with several officials of the past administration, including former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, for alleged electoral fraud during the 2007 midterm elections. Mrs. Arroyo is presently under hospital arrest at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City. Wednesday's development came a week after the Comelec failed to present witness Lilian Radam, a former election official, who would link Abalos to poll fraud. According to Radam’s legal counsel, Nena Santos, the witness was not able to attend in last week’s bail hearing as Radam suffered from high blood sugar, the television report said. Last year, Radam said, through her affidavit, that the former Comelec chairman directly instructed her to manipulate the results of the 2007 elections by signing extra copies of certificates of canvass and statements of votes. Bail no sure thing yet Abalos may have been allowed to post bail by a Pasay RTC Branch 117, but he is not quite out of the woods yet. Lawyers of both Abalos and the Comelec both agreed on this point as they said Abalos still faces separate electoral sabotage charges before another Pasay court – RTC Branch 112. In an earlier dzBB report, Sam Nielsen quoted Comelec lawyer Maria Juana Valeza as saying they will exhaust all legal means to keep Abalos from getting temporary liberty. Valeza was quoted as saying Abalos has yet to convince the Pasay City RTC Branch 112 Judge that he had no hand in the alleged 2007 poll fraud. A hearing is set before Branch 112 on Thursday, with former provincial election official Yogi Martirizar expected to testify and link Abalos to poll fraud. For his part, Abalos' lawyer Brigido Dulay admitted they cannot be complacent until Abalos convinces Branch 112 of his innocence.  Meanwhile, in an interview with Raffy Tima on "Balitanghali," Abalos' son, Mandaluyong Mayor Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr. also admitted his father may not have his temporary freedom. “Dalawang kaso ito isa kay [Judge] de la Cruz na pinayagang magpiyansa ang ama ko at ‘yung tomorrow (Thursday) naman kay Judge Mupas… [kung] payagan din siya makapagpiyansa, ‘yun talaga 100 percent na makakalaya [na siya],” the younger Abalos said. “Kami ay naniniwala at nananalangin na pagbibigyan kami bukas dahil ‘yun ay mas matagal na kaso. ‘Yun ay inihain last year pa e. Samantalang itong ngayon [na pinagbigyan ang piyansa] ay February lang na-file,” he added. In the poll sabotage case under Judge Mupas, Abalos’ co-defendants include former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, former Maguindanao governor Andal Ampatuan Sr. and then Maguindanao provincial poll supervisor Lintang Bedol. — with a report by Rouchelle Dinglasan /LBG/RSJ, GMA News